Electrophotographic imaging apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “apparatus”) is one of the apparatuses indispensable in a modern office environment. Common apparatuses include laser printer, laser copier, etc. Both the laser printer and laser copier utilize a laser beam loaded with objective information to scan the surface of a photoreceptor, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor. Further, the developer is applied to develop the electrostatic latent image, and via the transfer device inside the apparatus, the developed electrostatic latent image is eventually transferred to a medium material, thereby completing the imaging process.
The above-described developer is often accommodated in a process cartridge detachably mounted in the apparatus. The above-described photoreceptor may be mounted inside the apparatus, or mounted in the process cartridge.
Using the above-described laser printer and the photoreceptor mounted in the process cartridge as an example, the photoreceptor may include a photosensitive cylinder coated with a photosensitive material on the surface, and a drive transmission device mounted at an end of the photosensitive cylinder. The drive transmission device receives a driving force from inside of the laser printer and transmits the received driving force to the photoreceptor, thereby driving the photoreceptor to rotate and work.
One of the existing drive transmission device includes a gear portion fixedly mounted at an end of the photosensitive cylinder, and a drive receiving member mounted inside the gear portion that swings freely. One end of the drive receiving member is a sphere, and the drive receiving member is coupled to the gear portion via a pin. Another end of the drive receiving member receives the driving force from inside of the laser printer and transmits the driving force to the gear portion via the pin, thereby driving the photosensitive cylinder to rotate.
Because one end of the drive receiving member mounted in the gear portion is a sphere, the rotation axis of the drive receiving member may be deflected freely with respect to the rotation axis of the photosensitive cylinder. That is, the rotation axis of the drive receiving member and the rotation axis of the photosensitive cylinder may be coaxial, or may show a certain inclination angle.
As described above, the existing drive receiving member may swing freely inside the gear portion, indicating that the sphere of the drive receiving member is not tightly fitted to the gear portion. For example, when the process cartridge or the photoreceptor is in transit, the drive receiving member may disengage with the gear portion. Thus, the drive transmission device may overall become ineffective, rendering an unfavorable situation where the end users cannot use the process cartridge. Accordingly, the existing drive transmission device or even the existing process cartridge need to be further improved.